Bell Named Illini Player Of Year

November 27, 1991|By Robert Markus.

Fullback Kameno Bell was named Player of the Year Tuesday at Illinois`

football banquet. The senior from Chicago, who led the team in both rushing and receiving, also was named Offensive Player of the Year. Bell rushed for 642 yards, caught 60 passes for 484 yards, and scored eight TDs.

Defensive honors went to senior linebacker Mike Poloskey who broke the school single-season record for both sacks and tackles for loss.

Safety Mike Hopkins was named Special Teams Player of the Year for the second time while linebacker Dana Howard was named Rookie of the Year.

Blown out: The women`s basketball team fared no better than the men`s team in its opener, falling 73-48 at Southern Illinois Sunday. In their home opener Tuesday night, the Illini women beat Illinois State 75-67. Mandy Cunningham had 24 points.

Still alive: The volleyball team kept its hopes alive for an NCAA bid by sweeping both matches at home over the weekend but now must win a pair on the road to have a reasonable chance at an invitation.

The Illini (18-8, 13-5) finished their home season with a 13-1 mark with 3-0 victories over Michigan State and Michigan. The Illini play at

Northwestern Wednesday in a match moved up from Saturday.

Lost weekend: The men`s swimming team went 1-4 and the women fared only a little better at 2-3 in the Fighting Illini Extravaganza over the weekend. Russ Maloney led the men with a victory in the 200 freestyle and second-place finishes in the 500 free and 200 butterfly. For the women, Pam Trenda recored victories in the 200 free and 100 butterfly.